Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, Jamaican Style

Ah, Jamaica! Its popularity as a vacation destination with its Dunnes River Falls, lush rain forests, Montego Bay and Kingston tourist traps. Who can forget the flavor of jerk foods, dreadlocks, cliff diving or the Olympic Jamaican Bobsledders responsible for the Cool Running's movie with John Candy. How about the reggae music movement initiated by Bob Marley, born and raised in Jamaica! But there is one very special commodity that grows only on the Eastern side of Jamaica that deserves alot of attention. Such as the coffee bean grown in Hawaii, known as Hawaiian Kona, these coffee beans are very expensive as they are grown in such small batches with pride and patience, to produce a distinct and delicate bean. Blue Mountain Coffee is the name of these fine beans that are only produced in the Blue Mountain Range of Jamaica between Kingston to the Sourth and Port Maria to the North of the island.

Of course, if you don't mind paying more for a coffee bean, you could endulge in Bourbon Pointu, grown on Reunion Island, a French Territory, or Kopi Luwak grown in Japan and the United States, at around $120-$600 a pound and hails as the most expensive coffee bean in the world.

Jamaica's Blue Mountain Coffee has strict restrictions as to what can be cultivated, certified, labelled and sold as Original Jamaican Blue, by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica.

The Blue Mountains of Jamaica stretch some 7,500 feet above sea level, making this range one of the highest in all of the Caribbean. The Blue Mountain beans are grown up to an elevation of 3000 feet with two select distinct categories of bean. Below 1500 feet, the coffee beans are called Jamaica Supreme or Jamaica low mountain. Above 1500 feet and the beans are categorized as Jamaica high mountain beans. Lush land that remains cooler with significant rain fall throughout the year, produces rich soil with great irrigation, necessary to grow great coffee. The fact that Jamaican Blue, for short, is confined to such a small area and is so carefully grown, collected and prepared is what spearates this coffee bean from the next.

The Jamaican Coffee Board recognizes and adheres to five classifications with regards to the beans grown in the Blue Mountain Range on the Island of Jamaica. These classifications are derived from the size of the bean, appearance of the bean and the percentage of defects allowed. Each coffee bean is painstakingly sorted through by professional coffee bean employees into the various five categories.

The five classifications are as follows:

Blue Mountain 1

Blue Mountain 2

Blue Mountain 3

Blue Mountain Peaberry

Blue Mountain Triage

Blue Mountain beans are harvested once the beans turn a deep red color. They are then inspected for insects, undersized beans and over fermented green beans after these berries have been floated in water. Once the beans have been sorted, they are collected for pulping and washing to remove the sugary substance known as mucliage. What is left is a brown creamy bean called wet parchment. The bean is then placed on a barbeque which are nothing more than concrete slabs for drying the beans. Normally left to dry in the sun for five days or so, depending on the weather, mechanical dryers may be employed. After this period which is responsible for determining the amount of moisture in the bean, the beans are now ready for bagging. These dry parchment beans are then stored in bags for around 10 weeks where the distinct character of the beans comes out. Hulling is the next step where the outside husk is removed to expose the unique green bean and the fine silver skin is removed. The beans are then stored in aspen wood barrels and brought upon the Jamaican Coffee Board for further inspection as the classification of the beans into one of the above noted five classifications. The beans are then ready to be packaged and sold as authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans to liscensed dealers and distributors.

Mavis Bank Coffee Factory is the reknowned producer of Jamaican Blue! Because of the time, small area in which the beans can grow and high standards set up by the Coffee board of Jamaica, Jamaica Blue coffee beans are expensive to produce as well as purchase, but when you try this extraordinary coffee, you will be thoroughly impressed at the taste and distinction attributed to Jamaican Blue. Don't settle for blends or copies of Jamaican Blue as taste, body and color will be significantly undermined and the enjoyment of this delicate and luxurious coffee will be downgraded immensely.

"Ya mon", without further ado, pick up some Blue Mountain Coffee and bring alittle piece of Jamaica home with you and remember "no worries mon"... ah right!

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